Introduction:
AI, or artificial intelligence, is one of the most double-edged inventions of our time as it is littered with pros and cons. Ranging from privacy issues, danger to the arts, and intense energy consumption, AI comes with plenty of cons, but its effects in healthcare and increase in productivity counteract the cons due to its efficiency in data analytics.
It is up to us to weigh the pros against the cons and decide how we choose to interact with this new technology, and how it will effect our lives. This blog will focus on what I deem the pros and cons of AI, and my opinions on the technology.
Analysis:
First, lets cover the negatives, as they are serious consequences to artificial intelligence that we must discuss, and that I wish was common knowledge to most.
One of the most unknown effects of AI, which is one of the most prevalent in my opinion, is AI's outrageous power consumption when prompted. While doing a Google search, you average about 0.3 watt-
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| Source: Science Direct Journal |
hours of electricity, while a AI search takes about 10 times that, at 3 watt-hours (Source). But with most search engines now including built in AI summaries when you search, that only increases the watt-hours required, shown on the graph on the left.
This is a major concern for those who may be more environmentally conscious, and most don't even know the intense amount of energy a simple search consumes now. With an increased amount of electricity to consume, that requires more electricity to be made, which consumes more fossil fuels, produces more carbon emissions, and is a serious danger to our lives.
The next con to artificial intelligence is privacy. Artificial intelligence is run by being fed a large database, which helps it learn and be able to answer questions and prompts. However, AI is fed this information by data collecting companies, whether the person consents to having their information shared or not. This leads to major concerns, which connects perfectly with my next con, the danger it presents to the arts.
Included within the information that is shared to AI, specifically generative AI that can create images, like DALL-E, is multiple pieces of artwork done by millions of artists, without their consent. Meaning any piece of AI-art can be considered plagiarism, due to the lack of consent or credit to the original artists (Source).
This worries me, as I have plenty of friends who are artists, who worry about their jobs being taken by AI, as people are less likely to commission their art. However, one thing that AI will NEVER be able to replicate, is the human soul and creativity. AI can not replicate the intense emotion and meaning that goes into every piece of art ever made, which makes it unique.
Which brings me to the much needed pros in the sea of cons! With most technology, we will adapt to its usage, and will find ways to integrate it into our way of life, and use it as a tool.
The impact of AI has been tremendous in the healthcare field due to its incredible ability to sort through millions of datasets quickly and find patterns within the data. This is revolutionary for diagnosing patients with diseases, as it can rule out human error in detecting certain illnesses, which can increase both the productivity, quality, and swiftness of healthcare! This is one of my personal favorite pros to AI, as it can help ease human suffering due to illnesses, and may be a driving force in the battle against notorious diseases such as cancer.
Conclusion:
Although there are many cons within artificial intelligence, I am confident that collectively, we will find a way to combat these negatives through research and time, and that the pros of artificial intelligence will shine brightly.
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